Lincecum and Cain and pray for rain? Not anymore. The Giants, the game's most surprising contender, have finally found an everyday star who can light up a clubhouse—as well as opposing pitchers—in Pablo Sandoval

From coast to coast, NFL training camps are in full swing, with coaches scheming for the season and players battling for respect, redemption or a place on the roster. SI visits five hot spots where the pressure will be intense

Superb article on the 1969 Miracle Mets (Where Are They Now?, July 13--20) and the excitement they ignited. What's telling is that in the photo of Game 5 on page 71 you can see Joe DiMaggio at the far right, witnessing the frenzy from the front row. Paul Simon's song of that time asked, "Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio?" The answer: "Joltin' Joe has left and gone to Shea ... hey, hey, hey." R.J. Croce, Wethersfield, Conn.

I could not help but chuckle at the irony of your Where Are They Now? issue including a feature on Earl Weaver and also the '69 Mets and members of the '79 Pirates. Weaver's Orioles fell to both teams in the World Series. Maybe there is something to be said for team speed and the five-man rotation. Michael Ritz, New York City

Many thanks to Tom Verducci for capturing what the film Field of Dreams means to so many baseball fans. In 2002, while driving from Nebraska to Pennsylvania, I talked my business partner into taking a six-hour detour to Dyersville, Iowa, to see the Field of Dreams location. There I bought a souvenir kid's T-shirt with the words, HEY DAD, WANT TO HAVE A CATCH? My wife pinned our sons' Little League baseball cards from the early '90s onto the shirt and mounted it. I have more sports mementos and trophies than I can count, but that is my most prized sports possession. Marc Patient, Auburn, Wash.

Peerless Pujols

Your discussion of Albert Pujols's greatness (Maybe, Just Maybe, the Most Perfect Player Who Ever Did Live, July 13--20) was limited to his batting, but it could have gone into other facets of his game. While he is by no means the fastest base runner, Pujols is one of the smartest. And his defense is tremendous—not only with his glove but also in how he reacts instinctively and positions his teammates. Karl Kime, Springfield, Mo.

Pujols is the most perfect player playing today. But Willie Mays is the most perfect player who ever did live. Bill Nelson, Newcastle, Wyo.

Wheel Deal

As a middle-class American who fell in love with bicycle racing and now lives (and still rides) in Europe, I can confirm Alexander Wolff's view of the working class versus middle class divide between European and American attitudes toward cycling (SCORECARD, July 13--20). But I disagree with him about European attitudes toward drug use by the riders. In France and Italy, as well as other European countries, drug abuse in sports is a criminal offense and in recent years has been pursued aggressively by police and prosecutors. At the same time, roadside crowds and media interest in the Tour de France have dwindled noticeably; people have had enough and are tuning out. Dan Thisdell, Egham, England

The Best Way Home

Your player poll asks whether home field advantage for the World Series should be determined by which team wins the All-Star Game or which team has the best regular-season record (SCORECARD, July 13-20). Why doesn't major league baseball simply award home field to whichever league has more interleague wins that year? Probably because it would be the most accurate indicator of which league is better, and thus it makes too much sense. Dan Cantwell, Albany, N.Y.

The Vick Dilemma

I find disturbing Alan Dershowitz's claim that if the NFL banned Michael Vick from playing (What's Next for Michael Vick?, July 13--20), it would be "denying the right to an occupation." The NFL is not preventing a team in the CFL or another league from signing him. I'm going to show up at Augusta National next spring with my golf clubs and try to use the "denying my right to an occupation" argument when they don't let me enter the Masters. Lance Gosselin Whitehall, Mich.

Jane Velez-Mitchell says that she doesn't know whether she would be able to "sashay back into her job" after having committed a serious crime because there's both a legal penalty and a societal penalty. Vick has served the legal penalty, and he'll be paying the societal penalty for the rest of his life. That should not preclude his right to make a living. Darryl K. Stapleton Darlington, S.C.

The day Michael Vick returns to the NFL is the day I turn off the TV and take my dog for a walk! John Kidd, Richland, Pa.

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